Things fall apart at NIMR

Established by the Act of 1972 to conduct research into diseases of public importance, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Yaba, Lagos has become a faltering organisation with several alleged cases of corruption, inflated contracts and disaffection, reports Sunday Oguntola.

December 16, 2013 was a Good Friday. It was not the traditional commemoration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But for the 65 new staff of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos, there couldn’t have been a better Friday.

That day, all of them, in one curious swoop, received employment letters from the nation’s premier medical research centre. It was an unprecedented employment gale in the annals of the nation’s federal civil service.

For a research institution, one expected more professional staff on board. But less than 20 of the employees were core research workers. The bulk of the new employees were support staff. That, to stakeholders, was a misnomer worsened by the speed with which the employment process was conducted.

Backdated employments

Other than that, nothing else appeared untoward about the employments. Except that the new staff never resumed physically until as long as nine months after. Investigations by our correspondent revealed the employments were backdated to December 16, 2013.

The 2014 tax returns for the research institute, obtained by our correspondent, didn’t capture any of the new employees. What this means in actual sense is that none of them was in the official records of the organisation for 2013. Their employments actually took effect from November 2014.

The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) also did not capture any of them as employed until December 2014. Mrs. Patricia Agbo, one of the new employees, received an offer of employment on December 13, 2014 as Assistant Chief Administrative Officer.

She accepted the offer on December 16, the same day she was registered to have resumed work. Strangely, the letter was stamped as received at the Director General’s office on January 18, 2013 and December 2014. The DG forwarded the letter to the Director of Administration on December 18, 2014. Yet, the newly employed staff was recorded to have resumed since December 16, 2013.

This glaring case of backdated employment is one of the anomalies NIMR has battled with since the assumption of Prof. Innocent Ujah as DG. The institute has seriously nosedived, becoming a shadow of its glorious past since Ujah came on board on May 24, 2010.

Most of the newly employed, according to findings, were either relations of the DG or sponsored by cronies within and outside the organisation. Expectedly, many of them lack requisite experience and qualifications for their elevated posts.

One of them is Mr. Ekoja, from Benue State. The Omnibus Staff Nominal Roll of NIMR showed that Ekoja is currently an Assistant Executive Officer with only a National Diploma. He was employed on March 4, 2013, the same day he was elevated to his current position in clear violation of civil service rules.

A den of corruption

Rather than concentrating on medical researches and discoveries, the premier institute has become a den of intrigues, nepotism, internal wrangling and widespread corruption.

Last August, workers under the aegis of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) embarked on a three-day warning strike to draw attention to the downward state of affairs in the organisation.

Another indefinite industrial action is expected to take off on November 22 by 12noon to further press home the parlous conditions in the institute. This time, the action is designed to completely shut down activities at the centre.

Findings revealed that Ujah paid the new employees for over a year without many of them actually putting in a day of work. The burgeoning wage bill soon started having effect on the organisation. To accommodate the new employees, the DG reduced the take-home of workers, creating a shortfall in 2013. Till date, the shortfall remains unpaid despite confirmation that the federal government already paid as far back as December 2013.

The DG, in a media briefing in August, explained the shortfall was due to the fact that the NIMR was transferred to the Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) as against the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) upon which the 2013 salaries and allowances were based.

He said: “The amount of money released and received could pay for three months and seven days and this was duly paid to all the staff of the Institute.

“The Budget Office of the Federal Ministry of Finance has categorically stated that the federal government did not owe NIMR any shortfalls on salaries in 2013 and therefore no other fund was received by the institute to this effect.”

That was on the eve of the three-day warning strike by workers from August 17-19. When the industrial action crippled the research institute, the Benue-born Ujah changed gears.

He appealed to the workers’ union and quickly entered into an agreement on August 25th to pay “the outstanding 10 units of call duty and non clinical allowance which will cover eight months and 23 days.” The payment, according to the terms of agreement, “will be paid in three instalments effective from September, October and November 2015.”

He also agreed to pay the arrears of promotion for 2012 and 2013 in another instalment from September 2015. Till date, none of the payments has been made, according to Comrade Eghosa Ehikhametalo, chairman of NASU NIMR Lagos.

Ehikhametalo told our correspondent: “The man still hasn’t paid us despite the agreements we had. He’s not forthcoming and we don’t know why. He has not communicated with us at all yet we are supposed to have received the first payment by September.”

Suffering in the midst of plenty

Yet, by all standards, NIMR shouldn’t be struggling financially. Aside from subventions and allocations from the federal government, the institute has viable internally generated enterprises.

Informed sources hinted that it generates nothing less than N150million yearly from proceeds of tests through the Human Virology Laboratory (HVL), Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory and the Clinical Science Division.

There is also the Hocal Suites that offers lodging and accommodation for guests at the highbrow Yaba premises of the organisation. NIMR further generates incomes from its auditorium and conference rooms. Findings showed that the halls do not charge less than N250, 000 for an event. The organisation has three halls hired every weekend. On week days, many also hire the halls for different functions and events.

There is also a park-and-go facility directly at the newly commissioned Cancer Centre. All of these are outside research grants and sponsorships from international donors and organisations committed to excellence in medical research for a safer world.

Our correspondent observed hundreds of patients and their relations rushing for laboratory tests in the Institute’s premises. The tests, according to many patients, are more expensive than elsewhere but they are left with no option because of the perception that they are better carried out in NIMR.

Findings revealed that most of the proceeds from the tests do not get into government’s coffers. In the early hours, patients pay cash for sundry tests as against what obtains from noon when they are told to proceed to the banks for payments.

The cash deposits, sources confirmed, never get into government coffers. Only the bank deposits eventually get recorded and delivered to government’s coffers. Some patients showed our correspondent slips that only acknowledge payments that are hardly recorded.

The heavy windfalls from the laboratory tests and sundry incomes of the organisation are however not reflected in its physical structures. Our correspondent observed that the toilets at the administrative block of the Institute were decrepit.

The flushing system had long stopped working, forcing guests and workers to manually wash down excreta. In short, most facilities at the Institute cast serious aspersion on the Institute’s acclaim and international stature. They could be better with wiser financial management.

Questionable contracts

The e-library project of the organisation said to have gulped over N300 million has since been abandoned. Such huge figures have characterised most contracts awarded under Ujah. On August 28, 2014, Bernas Investment Limited, Jos submitted a tender for “Re-roofing of Block “A” at NIMR Residential Quarters.” The firm went on to execute the project at a cost of N6, 165,606.30k.

The Cancer Research and Screening Centre was completed under the DG. But over N65 million was expended on the finishing stage of the project. Goga Consult, also from Jos, Plateau State, got N9, 815, 687.36k for “post-contract consultancy fee” according to a letter dated October 21, 2014. The same firm got N7.5million for valuation of the cancer centre.

HL Communication Limited received N3.5million for consultancy services on feasibility study for NIMR Consult. A&B Evergreen Global Concept Limited was paid N21,333,741.34k and N13,914,060.46k for valuation lot for the Cancer Research Centre.

Cross Gate Design Limited received at least four different payments as consultancy fees for the e-library project, which has since been abandoned. They are N1, 844,098.83k; N9, 940,000; N1, 589,273 and N1, 926,587.25k. Such inflated contracts not only ate into the resources of NIMR but also left its purse drained.

In December 2014, the Institute decided to offer free rice and vegetable oil to workers. Over N4.5million was expended on the project with a bag of Thailand Rice quoted at N14, 950. The 296 bags eventually left a big hole of N4, 425,200 in NIMR’s coffers. The rice project, informed sources stated, was executed by one of the new female employees related to the DG.

Staff turnover

Researchers are naturally mien and stable. They love serene environment with good atmosphere and working conditions. But since NIMR is corrosive, a number of them have been leaving in droves. Yet, this is always against their wish and desire. Investigations revealed that at least 15 top-grade researchers have left the Institute since 2010.

None of them retired or committed any infraction. They simply left due to frustration and lack of motivation. Their departure left a big void that NIMR is still battling with. Findings revealed that many more are on their way out of the Institute for greener pasture. Most workers, who spoke under strict anonymity, said the introduction of a bond-for-study leave will further lead to more exits from NIMR.

The bond letter requires the staff to sign an undertaking to remain in the employment of the Centre for “maximum of four years from the date of my resuming duties after expiry of my study leave.”

It further stated that those who fail to rejoin NIMR or complete the programme within the period of study leave will be “dismissed or removed from the service by NIMR.”Curiously, NIMR does not foot the bill of any staff for studies.

That requirement, for those seeking additional studies, is dampening morale and creating serious ripples among workers, leading to many of them considering leaving NIMR to ensure career progression.

ICPC’s dangling hammers

In a petition titled Financial misconduct and abuse of office of Prof. Innocent Ujah addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, a group of concerned workers urged the current administration to save the premier medical research centre from extinction.

On the strength of the weighty allegations, the DG was summoned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation. Ujah appeared before the anti-graft agency with some top officials on September 17. They paid another visit on September 22. In October, Ujah and his team paid another visit to the anti-corruption body with a view to explaining some of the weighty allegations bordering on financial recklessness and misappropriation.

The visits to ICPC, according to investigations, unsettled Ujah who has been away for over three weeks in office. Our correspondent, who visited his office at least three times in the last two weeks, was told the DG was unavailable. It was gathered he operates from a guest house somewhere in Lagos with a few trusted workers committed to blocking all identified and likely loopholes based on questioning from the ICPC.

The development also got the union worked up, frantically trying to block alleged attempts by Ujah to doctor some official documents and figures for a clean slate from the anti-graft body. So, while workers loyal to Ujah are looking to pad up official records, those in the union body are determined to lay everything bare before the ICPC.

No longer at ease

This high-wired intrigues and suspicion have seriously affected service delivery at the apex medical research organisation with many patients openly complaining they are unduly kept too long for ordinarily simple tests. They also pointed out that they are abandoned many times by medical personnel distracted by the internal wrangling in the organisation.

One of the patients, who simply identified herself as Banke, told our correspondent: “I am here for my usual HIV/AIDS tests. It has been tough as the laboratory workers keep us here endlessly, claiming to be busy. Even when they attend to us, you get a feeling they are not focused. This is not what used to be in this place. I think something is fishy and whatever it is has been eating up efficiency here.”

David Mark’s connection

Ujah is believed to be a nominee of former Senate President David Mark, who is also from Benue State. Highly placed sources within the organisation said the DG repeatedly told workers that nobody can remove him as long as Mark lives.

The defeat of the PDP in the March Presidential elections, it was learnt, really jolted Ujah. It was only after then that many of the covered up issues started blowing up with workers heaving a sigh of relief.

Mum from Ujah and spokesperson

Repeated attempts to get official reactions from the organisation yielded no results for over a month. Our correspondent visited Ujah’s office at least four times with his aides claiming he was unavailable. Request for his email was turned down.

Text messages sent to his mobile phone were also not acknowledged or replied. Ujah kept bouncing calls from our correspondent without explanation.

NIMR’s spokesman, Mr. Ezerendu, initially picked his calls. When our correspondent demanded for reactions, he claimed to be outside Lagos. He, however, dictated his email address, requesting that questions be sent across to him.

The mail titled: Media enquiries was sent to Ezerendu on October 21. As at the time of filing the report, the spokesperson didn’t respond to the questions. Calls to his mobile phone have not been answered since then. Text messages to follow up were also not replied.